An effective programme to systematic diabetic retinopathy screening in order to reduce diabetic retinopathy blindness.

The number of people identified with diabetes in England increased by nearly 5% during 2011-2012 to well over 2.5 million. During 2011-2012 the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme screened more than 1.9 million people. In general, the UK is doing very well with its DR screening targets. It is a world leader in diabetic retinopathy screening, having offered 85.7% of eligible diabetic patients the screening programme. However, the target is 100% and efforts are still being made to improve screening locally. Our aim is to evaluate the prevalence of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) (proliferative retinopathy or maculopathy), the number of patients needing laser treatment or vitrectomy and registered blind in the last 12 months in a defined population. We did a twelve-month retrospective database review at the Systematic Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service at Wirral University Hospital Trust, United Kingdom. The effectiveness of different screening modalities has been widely investigated. UK studies show sensitivity levels for the detection of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy of 41%-67% for general practitioners, 48%-82% for optometrists, 65% for ophthalmologists, and 27%-67% for diabetologists and hospital physicians using direct ophthalmoscopy. Sensitivity for the detection of referable retinopathy by optometrists have been found to be 77%-100%, with specificity of 94%-100%. Photographic methods currently use digital images with subsequent grading by trained individuals. Sensitivity for the detection of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy have been found 87%-100% for a variety of trained personnel reading mydriatic 45° retinal photographs, with specificities of 83%-96%. The British Diabetic Association (Diabetes UK) has established standard values for any diabetic retinopathy screening programme of at least 80% sensitivity and 95% specificity. We used descriptive analyses to characterise the study population and patterns of diabetic retinopathy, and used t tests and χ(2) tests to explore differences between patients without any retinopathy and those who developed any, background, or referable retinopathy. Parametric survival analysis with covariates identified those factors associated with the development of referable retinopathy. The presence of diabetic retinopathy was determined after each screening event during the study period. Although intended to occur annually, screening took place at variable times during the one year period. Of known diabetics in a total population 325.000, 84% accessed screening and 15.196 (4.7%) were screened. 748 were referred with referable retinopathy. 16% of the patients needed laser treatment for the first time, 30 patients needed vitrectomy, and 16 were registered blind. To evaluate the effectiveness of diabetic retinopathy screening (DRS) service we did a retrospective comparative analysis of 2 year DRS data in Wirral (2010-2012). An increase of 6.8% in the number of diabetics was noted over the last 12 months compared to the previous period. Referable retinopathy decreased from 5.6% for 2010-2011 to 4.94% during the same period in 2011-2012. In particular, the incidence of proliferative retinopathy (R3) has dropped from 0.7% last year to 0.52% this year. STDR has significant impact on ophthalmic services, but a well-implemented program provides timely treatment, reducing the need for vitrectomy and blind registration and serving as a benchmark to plan service delivery in a similar population.

Mesectodermal leiomyoma of the ciliary body: report of a case and review of the literature.

Mesectodermal leiomyoma of the ciliary body is a rare benign tumor with double (muscular and neural) differentiation. This neoplasm is considered to originate from the ciliary body smooth muscle, a neural crest derivative. We report a case of mesectodermal leiomyoma of the right eye occurring in a 53-year-old woman, who presented with significant decrease of visual acuity. A malignant melanoma was highly suspected on clinical evaluation, and the globe was enucleated. The tumor measured 1.2cm in greatest dimension, and consisted of spindle and ovoid cells with abundant fibrillary cytoplasmic processes. Immunohistochemical stains revealed positivity for smooth muscle actin, caldesmon, neuron-specific enolase, and CD56 antigen. A review of the 23 cases thus far reported in the literature shows a striking predilection for women, as well as significant difficulties in differentiating this tumor from malignant melanoma on clinical grounds.

Posterior capsule rupture and vitreous loss during phacoemulsification with or without the use of an anterior chamber maintainer.

PURPOSE: To compare the incidence of posterior capsule rupture and vitreous loss during phacoemulsification with and without the use of an anterior chamber maintainer (ACM) SETTING: Aristotle University Eye Clinic, Thessaloniki, Greece. METHODS: The surgical records of patients who had phacoemulsification by experienced surgeons over a 2-year period were reviewed. The cases were divided into 2 groups: surgery performed without the use of an ACM (no-ACM group) and surgery performed with the use of an ACM (ACM group). RESULTS: The no-ACM group comprised 231 cases and the ACM group, 312 cases. Posterior capsule rupture occurred in 19 cases (8.22%) and 22 cases (7.05%), respectively. Of the patients with posterior capsule rupture, 6 (31.57%) in the no-ACM group and 16 (72.72%) in the ACM group had vitreous loss and required an anterior vitrectomy; the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (P =.03). CONCLUSIONS: The use of an ACM in phacoemulsification provided a consistently deep anterior chamber and approximately the same rate of complications as with a standard technique in the hands of experienced surgeons. However, when posterior capsule rupture occurred, the incidence of vitreous loss was significantly higher in eyes with an ACM.

Perfluorocarbon liquid utilization in primary vitrectomy repair of retinal detachment with multiple breaks.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of pars plana vitrectomy in conjunction with intraoperative perfluoro-n-octane (PFO) use as initial treatment of retinal detachment (RD) with multiple breaks located at various distances from the ora serrata. METHODS: Twenty-two consecutive eyes (15 phakic, 2 aphakic, and 5 pseudophakic) presenting with RD with multiple breaks and tears underwent primary pars plana vitrectomy, PFO retinal reattachment, transcleral cryopexy or endolaser treatment of breaks, PFO/air exchange, and final injection of 18% perfluoropropane (C3F8). Scleral buckles were not used. The mean follow-up period was 29 months. RESULTS: Temporary PFO utilization attached the posterior retina and facilitated the safe removal of vitreous at its base and around the retinal tears. Intraoperative complications included new breaks (3 eyes), enlargement of breaks (2 eyes), and a small bubble of subretinal PFO (1 eye). Postoperatively, the retina remained attached during follow-up in 19 eyes. Cataract developed or progressed in 13 phakic eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Pars plana vitrectomy in conjunction with intraoperative PFO utilization is effective as initial treatment of RDs with multiple breaks. The main limitation of this technique is the postoperative progressive cataract formation in phakic eyes.